L.A.-area wildfire halted; arrests made; O.C. teams helping in fight

Jan. 16, 2014

Updated Jan. 17, 2014 5:49 a.m.

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A wildfire burns in the hills just north of the San Gabriel Valley community of Glendora on Thursday. NICK UT, ASSOCIATED PRESS

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After a team meeting, Capt. Dave Wolf checks his surroundings before closing the door on Engine 121 as the Orange County Fire Authority deploys a strike team Thursday morning to a large brush fire burning in the foothills near Glendora in Los Angeles County. KEN STEINHARDT, STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

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Family members comfort each other as they evacuate their home near Glendora as firefighters battle a wildfire on Thursday. A wildfire burned out of control near homes in the dangerously dry foothills of the San Gabriel Mountains, fanned by gusty Santa Ana winds that spit embers into neighborhoods in the city below, igniting trees. Evacuations were ordered for houses at the edge of the fire. JAE C. HONG, ASSOCIATED PRESS

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Thursday morning at dawn, in a telephoto view from Mountain View Park in Fullerton, smoke from a brush fire in the Glendora area rises above the hills of Brea. A brush fire burning in a canyon of Angeles National Forest was reported at about 6 a.m., near Glendora. BRUCE CHAMBERS, STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

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Orange County Fire Authority firefighters greet each other as the strike team assembles in Tonner Canyon shortly before deploying to the Glendora area in Los Angeles County. KEN STEINHARDT, STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

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Engineer Evan Sornborger laces up his smoke jumpers, wild land firefighting boots, to get ready to help fight what has been called the Colby fire. Orange County Fire Authority was assembling a strike team in Tonner Canyon to go help fight a wildfire in Los Angeles County. KEN STEINHARDT, STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

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Orange County Fire Authority firefighters assemble and check their radios in Tonner Canyon on Thursday morning before deploying to the Glendora area in Los Angeles County as a large brush fire burns in the foothills. KEN STEINHARDT, STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

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A homeowner attempts to water down a tree on his property while a wildfire burns in the hills just north of the San Gabriel Valley community of Glendora. NICK UT, ASSOCIATED PRESS

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Thursday morning at dawn, in a view from Mountain View Park in Fullerton, smoke from a brush fire in the Glendora area rises above the hills of Brea. BRUCE CHAMBERS, STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

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A resident on the roof of a house talks on the phone as a wildfire burns in the hills just north of the San Gabriel Valley community of Glendora on Thursday. RINGO H.W. CHIU, ASSOCIATED PRESS

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A firefighting helicopter passes over the hills behind homes as a wildfire burns just north of the San Gabriel Valley community of Glendora on Thursday. RINGO H.W. CHIU, ASSOCIATED PRESS

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A wildfire burns in the hills just north of the San Gabriel Valley community of Glendora on Thursday. Authorities have ordered the evacuation of homes at the edge of a fast-moving wildfire burning in the dangerously dry foothills of the San Gabriel Mountains. NICK UT, ASSOCIATED PRESS

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A wildfire burns in the hills just north of the San Gabriel Valley community of Glendora on Thursday. NICK UT, ASSOCIATED PRESS

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Thursday morning at dawn, in a view from Mountain View Park in Fullerton, smoke from a brush fire in the Glendora area rises above the hills of Brea. BRUCE CHAMBERS, STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

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Thursday at 7 a.m., a huge cloud of smoke is driven west by the winds, appearing over homes in La Habra Heights in a telephoto view from Mountain View Park, Fullerton. BRUCE CHAMBERS, STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

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A big plume of smoke could be seen just north of La Habra on Thursday from Brea. KEN STEINHARDT, STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

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UPDATE: Santa Ana winds that fanned a campfire into a wildfire that destroyed five homes and threatened foothill neighborhoods east of Los Angeles relented Thursday afternoon, halting the blaze in its tracks.

The fire swept through 1,700 acres of brush in the San Gabriel Mountains early in the day and drove some 3,700 people to evacuate, but by nightfall it was no longer advancing and was 30 percent contained.

“The weather cooperated quite a bit today. We didn't get the wind … that we thought,” Los Angeles County fire Deputy Chief John Tripp said.

The contained sections of the fire were those closest to populated areas, allowing residents to return to neighborhoods in Glendora Thursday night, though fire engines would remain.

Parts of neighboring Azusa remained under evacuation orders. It wasn't clear how many of the evacuees remained away from their homes.

The National Weather Service said a red-flag warning of extreme fire danger would remain in effect into Friday evening because of low humidity and the chance of winds gusting to 30 mph in the foothills and canyons.

The wildfire, which erupted early Thursday, damaged 17 homes, garages, barns and other buildings, Tripp said.

At least 10 renters were left homeless when the fire destroyed rental units on the historic grounds of a retreat that once was the summer estate of the Singer sewing machine family. Statues of Jesus and Mary stood unharmed near the blackened ruins. However, the main, 1920s mansion was spared.

“It's really a miracle that our chapel, our main house is safe,” owner Jeania Parayno said.

Alex Larsen, 50, rented a room at the estate. The musician had lived there for about four years.

Two firefighters had minor injuries and a woman trying to fight the blaze near her home suffered a minor burn, Tripp said.

Three men in their 20s, including a homeless man, were arrested on suspicion of recklessly starting the blaze by tossing paper into a campfire in the Angeles National Forest, just north of Glendora.

Glendora Chief Tim Staab said the men were trying to keep warm and the wildfire appears to have been an accident.

“One was very remorseful for starting this fire,” he said.

The men could face either state or federal charges, depending on whether the campfire was on federal forest land, he added.

The Angeles National Forest was under “very high” fire danger restrictions, which bar campfires anywhere except in fire rings in designated campgrounds.

There are no designated campgrounds in the area where the fire began, U.S. Forest Service spokeswoman L'Tanga Watson said.

The mountains rise thousands of feet above dense subdivisions crammed up against the scenic foothills. Large, expensive homes stand atop brush-choked canyons that offer sweeping views of the suburbs east of Los Angeles.

Whipped by Santa Ana winds, the fire quickly spread into neighborhoods where residents were awakened before dawn and ordered to leave.

Jennifer Riedel in Azusa was getting her children, ages 5 and 7, ready to evacuate.

“They're a little nervous, but I'm keeping calm for them,” she said. “I've been loading the car up with important papers and getting the kids dressed. We'll just take some essentials and get going if we have to.”

However, other homeowners choses to stay, despite firefighters' orders to get out. Some wore masks against the ash and smoke as they wet down their properties with garden hoses.

The last catastrophic fire in the San Gabriel Mountains broke out in 2009 and burned for months, blackening 250 square miles, killing two firefighters and destroying more than 200 structures, including 89 homes.

The flames could have abundant fuel to consume. Vegetation above Glendora had not burned since a 1968 fire that was followed by disastrous flooding in 1969.

Many homes are nestled in rugged canyons and ridges that made access difficult.

Glendora police went door to door ordering residents of the upscale city of 50,000 to leave. Citrus College and several other schools canceled classes.

More than 700 firefighters were on the scene, along with 70 engines and a fleet of helicopters and air tankers dropping water and retardant.

The smoke was visible from space in satellite photos. The South Coast Air Quality Management District issued a smoke advisory and urged residents to avoid unnecessary outdoor activities in directly affected areas.

About 70 miles to the northwest, another fire burned one acre of tinder-dry chaparral near Pyramid Lake before it was contained. Authorities say the blaze began in a mobile home. No injuries were reported.

California is in a historically dry period, and winter has offered no relief.

Large parts of Southern California have been buffeted all week by the region's notorious Santa Ana winds, which have contributed to some of the region's worst wildfires.

The winds form as the cold inland air flows toward Southern California, then speeds up and warms as it descends in a rush toward the coast. Some of the most extreme gusts reported by the weather service topped 70 mph.

The Santa Anas typically begin in the fall and last through winter into spring. The winds also raise temperatures to summerlike levels. Many areas have enjoyed temperatures well into the 80s.

EARLIER:

Three strike teams from Orange County agencies headed to Los Angeles County on Thursday morning to help battle a fast-moving fire that spread in the hills near Glendora.

At least 2½ square miles of dry brush had burned in the blaze, dubbed the Colby fire, which broke out about 6 a.m. According to officials, nearly 2,000 people were evacuated, one person suffered minor burns and two homes were destroyed in the wildfire that started early Thursday when three people tossed paper into a campfire in the dangerously dry and windy foothills, officials said.

The three people, all men in their 20s, were arrested on charges of recklessly starting the fire, which cast an eerie cloud all the way to the coast.

The large plume of smoke was visible in some areas of Orange County, more than 20 miles away from the fire.

The smoke prompted calls of a possible fire in the Tonner Canyon area about 6:30 a.m. Orange County Fire Authority units searched but were unable to find a fire there or in Anaheim Hills, said Capt. Shane Sherwood of the Fire Authority.

After 8:30 a.m., OCFA officials dispatched five fire engines and about 20 firefighters to help fight the Glendora fire, Sherwood said.

Lt. Tim Schmidt of the Anaheim Police Department said Anaheim fire officials were also heading two additional strike teams composed of various fire departments from Orange County.

As part of those strike teams, Anaheim Fire Department was including two wild land fire engines, he said.

Orange County is in its fourth consecutive day under a red-flag warning, with high winds, low humidity and hot temperatures.

A red-flag warning is expected to remain in effect for Orange County until Friday.

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